Locomotive water scoop



June 8 1926.

. 1,587,835 R. J. HIMMELRIGHT LOCOMOTIVE; WATER SCOOP Filed pril 15. 1925 2 SheetsSheet 1,

ATTORNEY! June 8 ,1926. 1,57,s35

R. J, HIMMELRIGHT LOCOMOTIVE} WATER SCOOP Filed April 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' v INVENTOR 'BY 2 y g M AT'I'ORNEYS Patented .l'une 8, 1926 UNITED STATES assess;

RALEIGH J. HIMMELRIGHT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LOCOMOTIVE WATER SCOOP.

Application filed April 15, 1925.

This invention has reference to the provision of certain ii'nproveinents in water scoops such as are used generally on locomotive tenders and the primary object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which will make it possible to scoop a tank of water either at slow speed or while the locomotive is standing still. This is done by the apparatus I propose, which will also operate efficiently, at high speed.

In the use of apparatus at present employed the action of the water scoop does not become really effective until the train speed reaches from to miles per hour. It is possible to start the present apparatus taking up Water from the track pan at a speed of approximately 15 miles per hour but the action at this speed is unsatisfactory and very wasteful of water and below 15 miles per hour or approximately that speed it is not possible with some installations to scoop the water at all. It follows that there are a large number of freight locomotives in use which operate much of the time at lower speeds and to which it does not pay to apply a water scoop equipment and for like reasons a good many of the low speed freight tracks are not as yet equipped with a water pan because of the difficulty of scooping the water from the pan at slow speeds.

The great need for a device which will operate effectively at low freight train speeds is due to the great difficulties encountered in the handling of long freight trains. There is more danger of breaking trains in two in heavy slow freight service than there is on high speed service either of passenger or freight. It is also a fact that the stopping and starting of a long freight train without shock or trouble is a matter of some difficulty and this makes it still more desirable to provide a means for supplying the freight locomotive tank with water without the necessity of bringing the train to a stop.

In carrying out my invention I provide an apparatus which can be operated even with the locomotive standing still and which will act with efficiency at low speeds as well as at high speeds.

In order that my invention may be bet- Serial No. 23,179.

ter understood I will now proceed to describe the same in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated it inpreferred form and in which Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a portion of a tender showing my improvement applied thereto and Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that I have therein indicated a locomotive tender 1 having a floor 2 carried on sills 3 and from the sills 3 I suspend by the straps 4f the reservoir 5 which hangs in position to clear the water pan 6 when the tender is over such pan.

Extending upwardly from the reservoir 6 are a number of ejector pipes 7 provided with reverSely turned ends 8 which reach up into a dome or extension 9 at the top of the tender tank and are held in place by the socket castings 10 mounted on the floor 2.

A scoop 11 is provided hung from the pivotal support 12 through the strap 13 which is secured to the sill of the tender and arranged with its discharge end 14: directed downwardly into the reservoir 5 and its other end 15 of such length and configuration as will, when it is lowered to the prop er degree, engage the water in the pan 6 as shown in Fig. 1. I

The scoop 11 is connected by a link 16 with a bell crank lever 17 the other end of which is engaged by a piston rod 18 which will be pushed to the right by the piston 19 when air pressure is admitted to the cylinder 19 through the pipe 20 by means of a hand controlled valve 21 preferably located in convenient reach of the engineer or fireman. The reservoir 5 is provided with a drain door 22 constructed by means of a connection 23 in such a way that as the scoop is raised by the mechanism just described the drain door 22 will be automatically opened and as the scoop is dropped again into operating position which is the one shown in Fig. l, the drain door 22 will automatically close, the purpose of this arrangement being to keep the reservoir 5 free of water when the device 'is not operating so that there will not be danger of its freezing up in cold weather.

The inlets to the discharge pipes 7 are near the bottom of the reservoir 5 and at this point there are lateral openings 2e provided surrounding an ejector nozzle which receives fluid pressure from the pipe 26, that is controlled by the valve 27 which, for convenience, I prefer to connect in some manner with the valvev 21 as by the link 28 shown, so that the two valves will work as one. If preferred a single valve with various port openings may be used in place of the particular valve structure shown.

It will be seen from Fig. 2 that I employ a number of upwardly leading discharge pipes 7 and each one of these is provided at the bottom with an ejector device of the character already described connected with the pipe 26 so that when the apparatus is in use water from the reservoir 5 will be sucked up at various points transversely along its bottom some of the pipes discharging forwardly and some rearwardly as indicated in Fig. 1.

As thus far described the apparatus will operate in the manner indicated when the locomotive is traveling at a fair rate of speed for when the fireman turns the water scoop valve in the engine cab this will drop the scoop, at the same time automatically closing the drain door. in the reservoir and starting the lifting jet at the face of the elevating pipe taking the water from the reservoir upward and discharging it into the tank, the reservoir being supplied by the rush of water through the scoop and out of the discharge end 14:.

At lower speeds additional mechanism will be required and this I provide in the shape of a horizontal wall or deflector plate 30-arranged at the inlet end of the scoop in the position shown in Fig. 1 which separates the scoop at this point into two channels or passages, the lower one 31. having in its underside a transversely extended recess 32 which houses a pipe 33 that is provided with a series of upwardly and backwardly directed nozzles 34, and receives a supply of: fluid-pressure from the downwardly extending pipe which may be connected with any suitable source of supply for providing fluidpressure when required-for starting the ejector action of'the nozzles 34; through the passage 31 which will aid in bringing the water upward from thepanto the discharge end 14 at low speed and will operate to perform its function even if the-engine is standing still.

The pipe 35 can, if desired, be connected with the pipe 26 sothat both will'be supplied thru the same valve; 27 and then the entire apparatus will work in unison. Thus if; the composite valve 21, 27 is open the water scoop'will be lowered, the drain door closed and the steam jet in the elevating pipeswillbegin to function as well asthe jet in the, water scoop itself'and the operation will continue until the valve 21, 27 is moved to the opposite position, which will close the inlet to the pipe 26 and open the inlet for fluid pressure to the pipe 20 acting on the piston 9-to raise the scoop, which, by the connection 23, opens the drain door 22 allowing-the accumulated. water in the reservoir 5 to run out and avoid freezing, while the lifting ejcctors in the pipe 7 as Well as the ejector devices in the scoop 11 cease to operate because ofthe closing of the valve 27.

In case it should happen for any cause that the lifting ejector-s do not carry the water upwardly out of the reservoir as fast as it is brought into the reservoir from the scoop 11, the surplus will be carried off by means of an overflow spout or pipe 36 which I have arranged at the rear side of the reservoir 5.

The object of discharging the water from the ends of thelifting pipe in twodirections is to prevent the same from piling up toward the rear of the tender.

It will be noted in the operation of my invention no change whatever will have to be made in the present track pan and that the water can be taken into the locomotive tender at speeds all the way from zero up to any speed desired. At higher speeds some of the water willpass upward along the top of the deflector plate in the scoop but this will not serve to interfere with the action of the water which travels upward through the passage 31 due to'the action of the ejector nozzle 3% but the whole stream will be forced around the upward bend and out the discharge end 14;

While I have suggested the use of steam as a fluid pressure motive device for raising the water and for feeding the water into the reservoir it is evident that other fluid pressure means such as air pressure could be used if desired.

I claim 1. A locomotive tank water scoop device comprising a reservoir, a scoop arranged-to deliver into the reservoir, and' lifting pipes for discharging water from the reservoir into the tank, the scoop being provided with fluid pressure means for facilitating the passage of water tlierethrough.

2. A. locomotive tank water scoop device comprising a reservoir, a scoop arranged to deliver into the reservoir, and lifting pipes for discharging water from the reservoir into the tank, the lifting pipes being provided with fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water therethrough, and a drain door for the reservoir automatically actuated by movement of the scoop.

3. A locomotive tank water scoop device comprising a reservoir, a scoop arrangedto deliver into the reservoir, andflifting pipes for discharging water from the reservoir into the tank, the lifting pipes being provided' with fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water therethrough and fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water through the scoop.

A. A locomotive tank water scoop device comprising a reservoir, a scoop arranged to deliver into the reservoir, and lifting pipes for discharging water from the reservoir into the tank, the lifting pipes being provided with fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water therethrough and fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water through the scoop, and a valve device for actuating the lifting ejector and the scoop ejector in unison.

A locomotive water scoop device comprising the usual water tank and track pan, a scoop having a divided inlet opening, and fluid pressure means for facilitating the passage of water through a division of the scoop.

6. A locomotive tank water scoop device including a water scoop for discharging Water into the tank and means whereby the water scooped is discharged into the tank in divided streams.

'7. A locomotive tank Water scoop device including a water scoop for discharging water into the tank and means whereby the water scooped is discharged into the tank in divided streams in different directions.

8. A locomotive tank water scoop device comprising a reservoir, a scoop arranged to deliver into the reservoir, and lifting pipes for discharging water from the reservoir into the tank, said lifting pipes being an ranged in pairs with oppositely directed outlets alternately disposed.

9. A locomotive tank water supply device comprising a track pan, a scoop arranged to receive water from said pan and fluid pressure means for facilitating the movement of water through said scoop.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

RALEIGH J. HIMMELRIGHT. 

